Can Using Smaller Plates Help You Lose Weight?

New research suggests most people could easily lose up to two pounds a month simply by eating off smaller plates and focusing more on their food during mealtimes.

In one study, people ate 45 percent more popcorn when they were given a larger size of the snack food, and diners given a “bottomless bowl” of soup that automatically refilled ate 73 percent more without even realizing it.

Researcher Dr. Brian Wansink from Cornell University also suggests keeping unhealthy foods out of sight and not eating in front of the television. “Our homes are filled with hidden eating traps,” he says. “Most of us have too much chaos going on in our lives to consciously focus on every bite we eat … The lesson is, don’t rely on your stomach to tell you when you’re full. It can lie.”